Blizzard on Hunter Pet Specialization Changes in Battle for Azeroth

Blizzard has shared thoughts on Hunter Pet Specialization changes in Battle for Azeroth. On the Alpha, we datamined many changes including abilities related to each specialization, new specializations for certain pet families, and new utility abilities for families that were previously lacking them.

However, some confusion stemmed from using terminology that was previously associated with a DPS/health disparity among pets in previous expansions. Blizzard has clarified that they want to move past the idea of DPS and tanking pets, with all pets having equal damage, health, and armor. Each family will have some unique utility to encourage variation as well, as in Legion, only around half of the pet families come with distinctive abilities.

The article further breaks down how all the different abilities were allotted to pets in Battle for Azeroth. We've written down all of the new abilities in this post.

Blizzard

As we’ve kicked off the Battle for Azeroth Alpha, we’ve seen a lot of discussion about the new way Hunter pets work. While we’re by no means finished, we have reached a place where we want to share some insight into our plans and explain some of what you might see in development as Alpha continues.

Our primary thoughts on pets going forward:

Move past the idea of a DPS/Tank pet specialization

In Battle for Azeroth, all pets will have equal damage, health, and armor. All can tank or DPS equally. Choosing to put a particular pet into “Tank spec” feels outdated, so we’re going to shift all pets to a setup that will work as though they’re specced into both Ferocity and Tenacity (in Legion terms). All offensive and defensive passive abilities such as Blood of the Rhino and Combat Training will be rolled into every pet by default. Charge will be removed, and all pets will have Growl and Dash/Swoop. Some spec-specific actives will be redistributed where appropriate. We are keeping the names Ferocity, Tenacity, and Cunning as the broad groups that all families fall into. They are no longer changeable, and each has a new passive and active ability that are useful in almost any situation.

Maintain and/or reinstate pet family uniqueness

Pet family flavor is part of what makes selecting a companion unique and special, and want to emphasize that even more. A special ability has been added to all pet families that were missing one. Exotic Pets still have their unique ability (like 수면 총총걸음) in addition to a new ability. Pure flavor abilities that many pets have are also staying like 재롱 and 휴식.

Expanding access to Bloodlust, and the removal of Battle Res from pets

In Legion, all Hunters have access to Bloodlust and Battle Res, but they only exist among a handful of families, which leads to very narrow options. To that end, Bloodlust will be available on roughly a third of the tamable pet families rather than just two. In a world where we are proliferating abilities to many families, our first inclination was to add Battle Res to a separate third of those families. After seeing that landscape, it felt odd to fully embrace Resurrection as part of the Hunter kit. Further, moving into Battle for Azeroth, we are solidifying Bloodlust and Battle Res as the strong shared cooldowns that a group can bring - one offense, one defense. In that world, Hunters having access to both of the super powerful group benefits didn’t feel appropriate.

A variety of pet ability packages

It’s important to acknowledge that some hunters want to maximize their impact with their pet, while others are collectors who want a pet for every occasion. There should be opportunities to cleverly swap from one pet to another in a given situation and reap the benefit. At the same time, the Hunter who has grown attached to their spider named Fluffy should feel effective across the game. We’re going to try to ensure that every pet package is attractive, with a unique combination of benefits that work in many situations.

Here are some specifics of the Battle for Azeroth design for Hunter pets:

There are currently 51 pet families, and each family will be categorized as Ferocity, Tenacity, or Cunning. Each will have an active and a passive, and the active will be a Hunter class button that changes contextually with your active pet.

Each pet family will get one of six different abilities, and each ability will have a unique name themed to the family. Precedented abilities such as 발목 꺾기 - 50% Snare, 거대한 이빨 - Healing Reduction Debuff, 껍질 방패 – 50% Reduced Damage Taken, 민첩한 반사신경 - 30% Dodge, and 두꺼운 가죽 – Reduced Damage Taken at Low Health already exist in the game, and we’re exploring adding something similar to Tranquilizing Shot to the list.

While this does create a landscape where there may only be a handful of families that exactly fit the combination of tools you prefer, each family was chosen with variety as a premium. There are winged creatures, predators, grazers, and more represented across as many abilities as possible, while keeping them thematically appropriate.

For two specific examples: a Spirit Beast in Battle for Azeroth still has 영혼의 치유 and 정령의 걸음, and will gain 지구력 훈련 and 적자생존. They also have a new ability, 정신의 충격, that dispels magic and soothes enraged enemies. Cats, on the other hand, gain 살쾡이의 반사 신경 – a 30% dodge cooldown – in addition to 원초적 분노 and 포식자의 갈증. Both are able to tank or DPS equally.

Nowadays, only about half of the pet families out there have a useful ability, and we want to improve on that. In Battle for Azeroth, Bloodlust will be much more prominent, so Hunters should no longer feel bound to Core Hounds and Nether Rays as their best options. Most importantly, these changes should result in a pet landscape where all pets can serve as dps or tank as well as they could in Legion.

Please remember that all of the above, especially the numbers, are subject to change as we test in the Battle for Azeroth Alpha. Feel free to discuss anything related to Hunter pets here. We really appreciate your feedback!

RyuFlameheart의 댓글

Grimora의 댓글

I would've rather had a whole talent tree for my pet (plus spec) than this crap but to each their own. I'll still play my hunter I've had since vanilla but I won't be happy(er) about it.

Myloq의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:06:43-06:00

I hope they increase the size of the stable. They release new special pets each expansion but don't make the stable any bigger. I have to abandon pets I want to hold onto.

deathlavitz의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:08:33-06:00

shared brez and hunters can do it being too powerful eh? I hope this bring the player not the class means we are actually going to get balanced classes, although i doubt that happening. Will always be a best class to bring or spec for that matter.

Mightylorddk의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:11:18-06:00

So you're ruining pets instead of fixing'em.

Gotcha.

I would've rather had a whole talent tree for my pet (plus spec) than this crap but to each their own. I'll still play my hunter I've had since vanilla but I won't be happy(er) about it.

fixated narrow mind can never be fixed. I am pointing at Vanilla whiners though

KoleBigEars의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:17:11-06:00

Uhhhh ok...

Most importantly, these changes should result in a pet landscape where all pets can serve as dps or tank as well as they could in Legion.

Right...except that:

While this does create a landscape where there may only be a handful of families that exactly fit the combination of tools you prefer...

So really I am back to using specific pets for specific tools except this time around it may be a pet I don't like the look of or want to RP with my character, etc. This really doesn't make me feel like they are opening up much choice.

Also, if they are giving us more options for spells, then we are going to need another spell bar, because I am not opening up the spellbook every time I need to use growl to get something off of me or to turn on/off other spells.

Interest의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:17:40-06:00

The way they're going about this almost seems too ambitious much like a few previous iterations, though it's certainly an interesting attempt to make pets different while attempting to provide more options. Meanwhile, I'm personally a fan of just letting players choose from a pool of abilities for their pets, which allows them to literally use any pet they want.

I would've rather had a whole talent tree for my pet (plus spec) than this crap but to each their own. I'll still play my hunter I've had since vanilla but I won't be happy(er) about it.

Eh, pet talent trees were a nice idea but ultimately gimmicky and fraught with all of the problems that the old talent tree design in general had - that is to say, there was generally always one optimal build or maybe two, with very little freedom of choice. At least this way the pet choice is comparable to that of a row of a talent tier, which is hardly within the realm of "ruining" pets either, incidentally.

Coldleo의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:18:18-06:00

Please remember that all of the above, especially the numbers, are subject to change as we test in the Battle for Azeroth Alpha. Feel free to discuss anything related to Hunter pets here. We really appreciate your feedback!

or better yet

THE SKY IS FALLING#DELETEHUNTERS

Verethora의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:20:04-06:00

They ruined the fun part of having a hunter pat back in MoP! Cata still had some personalization and spec building connected to pets, and different pets mattered. This bull@#$% of every pet having the same hp and armor is literally like saying, a paladin tank and dps priest should have the same hp because they are both under the category "classes" ... If they keep making the game simpler and simpler people will slowly quit. Why do they think the vanilla servers got such a hype and interest? Yes, things were not balanced and bad at alot of spots, but there was still that training and personalization part. Where a character was actually a character with their own characteristics, ideas and skills. Which led to more enjoyable gaming experience.

Richmond79의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:25:47-06:00

Are they increasing the number of pets we can stable? Getting silly now with lack of space

ramrad의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:30:59-06:00

Hey blizz, while we're at it, can we please bring back quivers and ammo pouches and use mana again. Also, I would like to feed my pet to maintain its happiness. K thx!

Ranma11788의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:37:46-06:00

This makes me feel a little better, thankfully.

Next, can BM have two pets again?

MagicalMarkers의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:41:25-06:00

This makes me feel a little better but I still don't feel good about the idea

I just really don't want to go back to the days of getting kicked from groups for using a Tallstrider. Gary has been my pet forever, it doesn't feel right to play without him and I won't do it.

Nehcrom의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:46:03-06:00

Will be interesting to see how this works, stopped playing my BM hunter in legion since it was ruined for me really loved the hunter in WoD. I am hoping I can enjoy my hunter in BfA again :)

SilverDragon234의 댓글

on 2018-02-13T23:51:59-06:00

This makes me feel a little better, thankfully.

Next, can BM have two pets again?

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND! Hati belongs to Thorim, and rightfully so!

johnjrichard93의 댓글

on 2018-02-14T00:06:13-06:00

I miss the days where a rare pet used to be more than just a cool skin for a mechanic. The rare/hard tames should always reward a hunter more than a normal pet. If you play a hunter, one of the best aspects of the game is sharing the stories about getting that rare pet. If I play BM I want a personal, rewarding experience with my pet(s).

And while you're at it... please add more variety to the old pet families. Some new bear models would be much appreciated.

mek002의 댓글

on 2018-02-14T00:10:22-06:00

Yeah he does BUT I would like a second pet !

Syward의 댓글

on 2018-02-14T00:11:37-06:00

This makes me feel a little better, thankfully.

Next, can BM have two pets again?

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND! Hati belongs to Thorim, and rightfully so!

Doesn't have to be Hati though. In fact, there's a new talent listed this build that will give us our 2nd pet. Our call pet skill will also summon the 1st pet in our stable. Seems that Blizzard heard our requests to keep a 2nd pet! 😁

That being said, I wish they'd just let us pick the abilities our pets get instead of locking the specs. seems kike itd be easy enough, just impliment a 2-3 row tallent tree with 3 talents/abilities each row. Problem solved. Oh, well, there's still time, maybe they'll change thier minds? 🤞🏻

Spectrence의 댓글

on 2018-02-14T00:15:39-06:00

interesting. pros and cons to this but I do very much like the idea of seeing more than the same few pets every group, due to bloodlust/res requirements. bloodlust available to more families will be nice. and while it is sad to see the battle res option go, it'll again be worth it (to me, at least) just to see people with different pets again.

lovelywaz의 댓글

on 2018-02-14T00:17:08-06:00

I miss the days where a rare pet used to be more than just a cool skin for a mechanic. The rare/hard tames should always reward a hunter more than a normal pet. If you play a hunter, one of the best aspects of the game is sharing the stories about getting that rare pet. If I play BM I want a personal, rewarding experience with my pet(s).

And while you're at it... please add more variety to the old pet families. Some new bear models would be much appreciated.

I am actually glad rare and hard to tame pets are ONLY a cosmetic cool skin. Remember in Vanilla, every hunter had to tame that 1.0 attack speed pet to increase their damage.

If you give a unique pet an ability that is useful in any way either out in the world or in dungeons/raids, every hunter will be forced to tame that and bring with them. Being just a cool cosmetic skin to "show off" should be the only uniqueness about those rare pets.